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MIS-Book.Com : Types of software

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Table of C ontents Home Preface Getting started Why read this? Book features Making the most The Scoobies Feedback I. What MIS is all about 1. Introduction to MIS 2. MIS and business II. Infrastructure 3. C omputers / programs 4. Networks / servers 5. Database infrastructure 6. Security III. Automate processes 7. Modeling processes 8. Storing data 9. Interfaces 10. C ase: grading system IV. Making decisions 11. Understand decisions 12. Decision support 13. Group decisions V. Facing out 14. Document centers 15. Virtual communities VI. Back to Business 16. Business strategies Demonstration software C redits Special features Student community Instructor community Planned changes Section II. Infrastructure > C hapter 3. C omputers and programs > Types of software user: pass: Login

Types of software
There are two types of software, based on what the software does: Application software: does something useful for a business or an individual System software: helps the computer run application software, or helps manage the computer Word, Excel, Peachtree First Accounting, Dreamweaver (a Web editor), and Half Life 2 (a game) are application software, often referred to as applications, or apps. Each one does something of direct value to a person or a business. For example, maintaining a balance sheet is useful for a business. It shows the company what assets and liabilities it has. Accounting software helps do this, so it's an application. Microsoft Windows is an example of system software. It's an operating system (OS), a very important piece of software. By itself, Windows isn't useful for business or personal tasks. It won't let you write letters, compute mortgage payments, track receivables, or build Web pages. However, the applications listed above need Windows to run. They all rely on Windows to handle tasks like saving files, sending data on a network, and printing. How does an OS help application programs? Let's compare two cases: applications running without an OS, and applications with one. Suppose you write a document in Word, and tell Word to save it to a disk file. Then you create a spreadsheet with Excel, and tell Excel to save it. Disk processing software is complicated. It has to deal with platters, tracks, sectors, error control, file tables, fragmentation, multiple processes, security, and other tech things we won't talk about. One approach is to include disk processing software in every application:

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